Bonnie Brown of the country music trio the Browns dead at 77LITTLE ROCK — Bonnie Brown, one of three siblings whose smooth harmonies as the Browns influenced generations of singers from the Beatles to Lady Antebellum, died Saturday at age 77. Her publicist, Kirt Webster, said Brown died in Little Rock of complications from lung cancer. With older siblings Jim Ed Brown and Maxine Brown, the three helped define the Nashville sound of the 1950s and '60s. They were inducted in 2015 into the Country Music H...

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Arkansas schools connecting to new internet network quicklyLITTLE ROCK — A Department of Information Systems official says Arkansas schools are connecting to a new high-speed broadband network faster than originally anticipated. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that department director Mark Myers told lawmakers Monday that when the project is completed, Arkansas will be one of three states with high-speed broadband in every school building. According to Myers, 148 of 276 school districts were con...

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Arkansas execution case could lead court to revisit OklahomaLITTLE ROCK — Lawyers for eight death row inmates in Arkansas say their challenge of the state's execution procedures should warrant a U.S. Supreme Court review that would likely revisit the high court's ruling on an Oklahoma case. The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled against the prisoners last month, but the inmates' lawyers want the court to withhold a final order pending a possible U.S. Supreme Court review. The office of Arkansas Attorney Gene...

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Huckabee fans buy former first family's Little Rock houseLITTLE ROCK — Billy C. and Linda Sue Morden are the proud owners of former Gov. Mike Huckabee's first post-gubernatorial house in Arkansas and much of the furniture besides. "Oh, my goodness, we are so excited about it," Linda Morden said by telephone from the home that she and her husband bought June 8 for $660,000 in North Little Rock's Shady Valley neighborhood. The Mordens have long been fans of Huckabee, a two-time unsuccessful candidate ...

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

About 38,000 still without power in Arkansas, OklahomaLITTLE ROCK — About 38,000 customers remain without power in Arkansas and Oklahoma after damaging winds in the two states this week, and some could remain in the dark for several more days. Entergy Arkansas reports nearly 28,000 outages Saturday afternoon and says most will be repaired by Sunday, but some in parts of hard-hit Little Rock, Arkadelphia and Hot Springs may not have power until Tuesday. Cooling centers are open until 8 p.m. Saturd...

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Bill Clinton says wife can bridge partisan divideNORTH LITTLE ROCK — Bill Clinton touted his wife Friday as someone who can bridge the partisan divide and has the best experience to address the world's challenges, as the former president returned to Arkansas to help her White House bid and boost a state Democratic Party that has been routed by Republicans in recent years. Headlining the Arkansas Democratic Party's annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner, the former president complained about "road r...

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Arkansas to hire new contractor to run juvenile lockupLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas has hired a new contractor to operate a juvenile detention center that holds the state's most serious juvenile offenders. Minden, Nevada-based Rite of Passage will take over operations of the Arkansas Juvenile Assessment and Treatment Center in Alexander under a three-year contract that begins Aug. 1 after the Legislative Council's Review Subcommittee agreed to the state Department of Human Services' decision to contract...

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

3-year-old Arkansas girl abducted by mother found safeVAN BUREN — A 3-year-old girl who police say was abducted by her mother has been found safe in Illinois. Police Sgt. Daniel Perry told reporters that Layla Rae Munholland was found Friday night in Grayville, Illinois, by Illinois State Police and that her mother was arrested. Perry said the mother — Chelsea Munholland — was trying to get to Kentucky and was tracked through her use of a stolen credit card. Police say the mother took the girl la...

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Arkansas says death row inmates not entitled to new hearingLITTLE ROCK — Government lawyers said Thursday that eight death row inmates who lost a challenge to secrecy provisions within Arkansas' execution protocol aren't entitled to another review and that further filings by the prisoners would delay justice for victims and their families. The Arkansas Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, ruled against the inmates June 23. Their lawyers subsequently asked justices to reconsider their decision, and reques...

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Arkansas railroad crossing get safety improvementsASHDOWN — A railroad crossing in Ashdown that was recently labeled as one of the most dangerous in the country is one of two crossings in the city now being targeted for safety improvements. The upcoming improvements are the result of a study by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department of Ashdown's railroad crossings, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. Federal Railroad Administration officials ranked one of Ashdown's crossings as...

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Blair, Bush, Clinton advocate cooperation at forumLITTLE ROCK — Tony Blair and the two U.S. presidents he worked with as Britain's prime minister said Thursday they're worried about the growing divisiveness that is making it harder for people to work together to find solutions. Blair swapped stories with former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush as the three former world leaders addressed graduates of the Presidential Leadership Scholars program. Sixty-one people graduated from the pr...

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

State Briefs (July 15, 2016)• Man wants to withdraw guilty plea in Midway couple's deaths MIDWAY — A man found guilty in connection to the killings of a Midway couple in November has filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea. Nicholas Ian Roos changed his plea to guilty in May in the deaths of 75-year-old Donald and 71-year-old Ladonna Rice. He received two life sentences without the possibility of parole in the killings, and 94 years in prison for the other related cha...

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State Briefs (July 14, 2016)• Body found outside Shawnee motel is that of Arkansas man SHAWNEE, Okla. — Police in Shawnee have identified a body found near a motel parking lot as that of an Arkansas man. Police told reporters Wednesday that the body is that of Adam Rogers. Police say Rogers was in his early 20s, but his hometown was not available and a suspected cause of death has not been released. Police did not immediately return a phone call for additional informatio...

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Police's fatal shooting of Arkansas man deemed justifiedFAYETTEVILLE — The Washington County sheriff's office and Goshen Police Department say deputies were justified in their fatal shooting of a man who authorities say pointed a gun at law enforcement officers during a standoff. Authorities say 50-year-old Randolph Blecher started a fire at a shop next to his Farmington home June 24, and his home was on fire when police arrived. Police say Blecher had firearms, which kept firefighters from extingu...

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Arkansas governor aims to set execution dates before JanuaryLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday that he hopes to set execution dates before January now that the state has a new supply of a lethal injection drug that had expired last month. The Republican governor said he planned to schedule the executions once an Arkansas Supreme Court ruling upholding the state's execution secrecy law becomes effective and he receives a request from the attorney general. The ruling won't become e...

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BY ANDREW DEMILLO ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

US Sen. Tom Cotton, wife expecting 2nd baby boy* Washington County to request more funds for states inmates FAYETTEVILLE — A Washington County committee has recommended asking the state for more funds to hold Arkansas Department of Correction inmates. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the county Quorum Court's Jail/Law Enforcement/Courts Committee approved the resolution Monday. According to detention center administrator Randall Denzer, the Washington County Detention C...

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State says it has all drugs needed for executionsLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas said Tuesday that it has a new supply of a drug used for lethal injections that had expired last month, potentially clearing the way for the state to resume executions after a decade-long hiatus. The state Department of Correction announced it had received a supply of vecuronium bromide with an expiration date of March 1, 2018. The state's previous supply of the paralytic expired on June 30. Department spokesm...

Lt. Gov. Griffin says he's seeking re-electionLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin said Monday he's seeking re-election in two years, becoming the second statewide official to launch a campaign for the 2018 election. The Republican ex-congressman, who was first elected in 2014, said he was announcing early partly because he's regularly asked about his future plans but also to give himself more time to organize his re-election campaign. "The later you start, the more you have to do ...

Panel OKs religious opt-out for Arkansas counselorsLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to a rule allowing counselors to refer clients to another provider if they have a religious objection to treating them, a move critics say opens the door for discrimination against gays and lesbians. The rule will allow counselors and therapists to refer a patient to someone else over sincerely held "ethical, moral or religious principles" but only after careful consideration and con...

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BY ANDREW DEMILLO ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

AR lottery sales break record• Reports says Arkansas lottery enjoys record-breaking sales LITTLE ROCK — A new report says the Arkansas lottery enjoyed record-breaking sales over the past year that funded an increase in college scholarships in the state. The report released Monday to the Legislature's Lottery Oversight Committee says total ticket sales during the fiscal year that ended June 30 were $455.6 million, up 11.5 percent over fiscal 2015. Instant ticket sales were...

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